FOXBORO — Josh Boyce isn’t an experienced kick returner. He returned just three kicks in his entire college career at Texas Christian. He’s still never returned a kick in the NFL.

FOXBORO — Josh Boyce isn’t an experienced kick returner. He returned just three kicks in his entire college career at Texas Christian. He’s still never returned a kick in the NFL.

But Boyce lined up deep for the Patriots on Monday against Carolina, and there could be more reps coming for him in a kick-returner role. He’s learning the intricacies of returning kicks — something that involves a lot more than catching and sprinting.

“It’s not really just running to daylight,” Patriots coach Bill Belichick said. “Wherever he runs, everybody else goes, too, so it’s being able to set up the blocks for the guys in the wedge or on the front line so that they can keep leverage on the defenders and then he can cut off them. When you’re blocking on a kick return, if you don’t know where the runner is, then that’s really hard for you to put yourself in position between yourself and the defender to make the block, if he runs different directions. Btu if he runs to a certain point, then you can position yourself so that you can get between your man and where he’s going to end up.”

A fourth-round draft pick last April, Boyce has one reception for 24 yards in his NFL career.

Manning protected

It can be hard to get to Peyton Manning. Of the NFL quarterbacks with at least 300 pass attempts this season, only Detroit’s Matthew Stafford has been sacked fewer times than Manning. The Kansas City Chiefs had perhaps the best pass-rush in the NFL a week ago when they tangled with Manning and the Broncos — and they didn’t touch Manning.

Some of the credit goes to the Broncos’ offensive line. Some of the credit, however, goes to the remarkable speed with which Manning gets rid of the ball. There are plenty of plays on which Manning doesn’t even need an offensive line, so quickly is the ball in and out of his hands.

The quick release of Manning makes for a tall task for the New England defensive front, a task that will get only more difficult if the Patriots’ coaches opt to use more defensive backs to cover and fewer linebackers to blitz.

“You’ve just got to go,” Jones said. “You’ve got to pin your ears back and go and get pressure on him. A player like that, you don’t want him sitting back there with no pressure.”

Holliday returns

Only two kick returners in the NFL are averaging more yards per kickoff return than Denver’s Trindon Holliday’s 31.9. Only one other player in the NFL has returned a kickoff for a touchdown, which Holliday did in September against the Philadelphia Eagles.

On that play, Holliday took a kick five yards deep in his end zone and broke up the left hash marks behind a pair of blocks before getting to the left sideline and outrunning the Eagles’ kicker to get a clear path to the end zone.

But unlike a lot of kick returns, Holliday isn’t just an up-the-sideline returner. He can use the middle of the field, too — and that makes him particularly dangerous.

“He doesn’t mind running up inside or taking a hit, that kind of thing,” Belichick said. “It’s not all just run to the sideline. [Carolina returner] Ted Ginn is a speed guy, and he tried to get a lot of his speed outside. Holliday can definitely get outside and he’s got a lot of speed, but he gets a lot of plays up inside, too, when people overplay him.”

Injury report

It appears Wes Welker will have a homecoming after all.

A concussion suffered a week ago appeared at first that it would prevent Welker from joining his Denver Broncos in their visit to Gillette Stadium, the place where Welker became a star before departing as a free agent. But Welker passed the NFL’s concussion protocols Friday and has been listed as probable on the Broncos’ injury report, meaning he’s he’ll probably play Sunday night. Welker participated in practice in full Friday.

Cornerback Champ Bailey (foot) and tight end Julius Thomas (knee) were both listed as questionable for Sunday’s game.

For New England, tight end Michael Hoomanawanui did not practice for a third straight day on Friday and will not play Sunday. Kyle Arrington (groin), Alfonzo Dennard (knee), Steve Gregory (finger), Aqib Talib (hip) and Leon Washington (ankle) were all listed as questionable. Danny Amendola (groin), Rob Gronkowski (back/forearm/hamstring) and Brandon Spikes (knee) were limited in practice Friday but are listed as probable for Sunday.